Martin Truex Jr.

In what was one of the worst kept secrets, and one of the most rumored silly season changes in the 2018 season, Cole Pearn and Martin Truex, Jr. will continue to be a crew chief and driver pair in the 2019 season.

Finishing out the 2018 West coast swing for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Martin Truex, Jr. and his No. 78 team are back in Victory Lane for the first time since celebrating their championship back at Homestead. But it’s the first time Truex, crew chief, Cole Pearn and the rest of the team could celebrate with their owner, Barney Visser after his 2017 heart attack late in the season.

Of the four drivers in contention Sunday at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami, Martin Truex, Jr. is the only one without a championship, but with his consistency in 2017, many are considering him the favorite for the 2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series champion.

Between a caution with three to go, and contact right after the subsequent restart, it just wasn’t Martin Truex Jr.’s night. Again. That contact in the final restart of the night at Richmond Raceway happened with the No. 11 driven by Denny Hamlin — a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) teammate.